Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-22

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The charts below show the proportions of British students at one university in England who were able to speak other languages in addition to English, in 2000 and 2010

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

The pie chart illustrate the percentages of British students at one university who were able to speak languages other than English in 2000 and 2010.

Overall, the proportion of students who could speak another language increased over the ten-year period. The most noticeable changes were the rise in the percentage pf student speaking Spanish and the decline in those who spoke no other language. French and German showed relatively small changes.

In 2000, Spanish was the most commonly Spoken additional language, accounting for 20% of the students. French was the second most popular at 15% , while German was spoken only 10%. A further 10% of students could speak two other languages. In contrast, the largest group, representing 30%, could not speak any language other than English.

By 2010, the proportion speaking Spanish had increased significantly to 30% making it even more popular. Meanwhile, the percentage of speaking French fell from 15% to 10% , while German remained at around 10%. The proportion of students who spoke no other language decreased substantially from 30% to 15%.

Overall, the chart indicate that British students became more likely to speak an additional language in 2010 than 2000.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response effectively covers all requirements of the task. You have identified the main features, such as the increase in Spanish speakers and the decrease in students speaking no other language. Comparisons are made throughout, such as contrasting the 2000 data with the 2010 data. The overview is clear and provides a good summary of the trends. To reach a higher band, ensure that all data points are accurate; for instance, you noted German remained at 10%, but the chart shows it actually increased slightly from 10% to 15%. Precision in reporting data is essential for a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The response is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the years and the specific language trends. Cohesive devices such as 'In contrast', 'Meanwhile', and 'By 2010' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the data. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the information is presented in a way that is easy to follow. The structure is consistent and supports the overall purpose of the report.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the information clearly. Phrases like 'accounting for', 'remained at around', and 'decreased substantially' are well-chosen and appropriate for an academic report. There are some minor errors, such as 'The pie chart illustrate' (should be 'illustrates') and 'percentage pf student' (typo), but these do not impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms for 'increase' and 'decrease' to avoid repetition and show a more sophisticated lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the majority of sentences are clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as subject-verb agreement ('The pie chart illustrate') and minor prepositional errors ('in 2010 than 2000' should be 'compared to 2000'). Punctuation is generally good, though there are some inconsistent spaces before commas. The grammar is sufficient to communicate the meaning clearly, but more error-free complex sentences would be required to reach the 8.0 band level.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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